By Kent Danjanovich
Senior Editor

It’s funny how dreams formulate in each of us.  Now I know some dreams are way more important than others, but each one finds a place in our psyche and just keeps working us over until we have an opportunity to live out that dream; Sometimes successfully and sometimes not!

I have had the chance to hunt and fish in many parts of the country and the world over the years and during that time, I have caught and bagged many great trophies.  For me, it has not always been the size of the fish or animal that determines the level of success.  Sure it’s nice to have a big elk mounted on the wall or the picture of a giant rainbow hanging in my office, but ultimately I come away from those experiences with many more precious memories of the hunt and those I had the experience with more than anything else.  Now back to THAT dream!

For the last seven years,  I have developed a fascination with black bears.  During many of my trips covering guides, outfitters and lodges around the world, I have had the opportunity to observe bears in their element and of all of the creatures that I come in contact with, black bears have become very special to me.  I love their nonchalant attitude, their heighten senses and their demeanor.  They are smart, but quite vulnerable at times.  Hey, doesn’t that line sound a little too familiar?

My first hunting adventure for black bear was in Ontario, Canada.  Ontario only allows fall black bear hunting, but the use of bait is allowed.  My seven day hunt did not end with a downed bear, in fact I didn’t even have the opportunity to draw my bow back, but I did have the chance to add more intrigue to my quest.

The next stop in my black bear journey was to northern Idaho.  Of course, as luck would have it, spring came in a little late and snow, ice and big run-off made for a pretty tough hunt to say the least.  Again, my bow and I were ready and willing, but there would still be no black bear hanging in camp for me.

2009 would be my next opportunity, with another trip north of the border to Manitoba.  Again, spring crept into summer and although we finally made our way to our destination, three weeks later than planned, my dreams of bagging a black bear again would not come to fruition.  Now, 2011 arrived and preparations were made with one of our Platinum Approved Outfitters, Arrowhead Wilderness Outfitters, located in Brimson, Minnesota.  Would this finally be the time that the jinx would be lifted?

Fellow Sportsman’s News Pro-Staffer, Kevin Orton and I loaded our gear into the rental car in Minneapolis and set the Garmin for our final destination, about 200 miles to the north.  We found the skies clear, but the temperatures above normal.  In fact, the summer of 2011 was one of the hottest on record and the normally cool fall temperatures were nowhere to be found.  Daytime temps were in the mid-80’s and nighttime temperatures fighting to get below 60 F.   Our spirits were still high, but I will have to say, the perspiration on our brows was not just from the heat.  Our thoughts were clearly clouded by the possibility of another failed adventure in pursuit of black bear.

We soon found ourselves arriving at Arrowheads’ lodge in Brimson, about 30 miles west of Lake Superior.  Owners Brian Bachman and Donovan Huehl welcomed us into camp and introduced us to the other hunters from across the country that had ventured to Minnesota with our same intensions in mind.  After unloading our gear, we all headed to the main lodge for lunch and orientation.

Brian quickly had all of our attention as he worked through our schedules for the week and schooled us in the facts of bear hunting success.  Although the temperatures were a little high, the group of hunters  that had just left had managed to down 16 bears during the first week of the hunt and with 110 baits located throughout their hunting area, trail cam photos supported the fact that there were plenty of bears available, if we were lucky enough to hit the time just right.

Each of us loaded into a vehicle with our guides at about 2:30 pm and headed out to our tree stands.  I would be on the spot first, with my Browning X-Bolt in hand and anticipation running , as you can guess, HIGH!  Kevin would be on the camera, filming for an upcoming edition of Sportsman’s News Television.  Donovan led us into our stand and after we were situated, dumped a bucket of sweet offerings on the ground about twenty yards away from us and then made his way back to the truck.  Unfortunately, our first night in the stand was quiet, with no bears showing up during our sit.  Donavan picked us up at 8:30 pm and we headed back to the lodge for a great meal and then hit our beds for a good night’s sleep.

For those of you that have not hunted black bear, almost all hunting is done in the evenings.  There are some areas that you can do more spot-and-stock hunting, but the terrain in north central Minnesota is way to thick to use those tactics.  With the black bear population in Minnesota approaching nearly 30,000, trail cam photos usually show that bears form a pattern and the hope is that they will hold to that pattern and frequent the baits sometime from late afternoon to just before dark.  The only problem with this routine is that you have way to many hours to pass between tree stand sits, so sightseeing, fishing and a little lounging around come into play every day during your hunt.

Our second night had us back at the same stand.  We found that the bait was wiped clean, a good sign, so we again climbed into our stand, dumped the bait and started the wait.  Three o’clock turned to four and then quickly to five.  The only thing that kept us perky was the constant hustle bustle of the resident squirrels and chipmunks.  Five-thirty passed and I looked over at Kevin and he had nodded off with his head resting on the safety bar of his tree stand.  A few minutes later, it all began!

I don’t know quite how to describe it, except to say that all of the sudden I felt a presence.  There was no crunching of leaves or branches, really no sounds at all.  But I knew something was there.  Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a black patch, now only about 20 yards below me to my left.  I slowly tapped Kevin on the shoulder and he looked my way as he clicked the camera on in anticipation.  It was finally happening.  My dream had come to life.  Time seemed to be in limbo as MY bear worked his way to the bait.

He quickly worked his way around the bait below us and then promptly laid down on the side of the bait pile, offering no shot at his vitals.  Now the waiting game began.  What seemed like an eternity was really only a couple of minutes.  Fortunately I had decided to use my rifle instead of my bow and I had options.  Brian had talked to us all about this scenario and that if we didn’t have a vitals or shoulder shot, if the bear was looking at us straight-on to place our shot at the base of the skull on the back of the head.  Kevin gave me the nod that he was ready with the camera and that the bear was a shooter and I slowly brought my Browning to the ready position.  A click of the safety had me ready for the shot.

My bear lowered his head one last time and I eased the trigger back.  Now, I had taken a little heat for using my 375 H&H on this hunt, but with our Pro-Staff scheduled for a couple more big game hunts throughout the fall, my business partner, Mike Deming told me to order a big gun and then made this statement that would be confirmed very shortly, “You want to use a gun that will knock that bear on his A_ _ “!  The report of the shot was loud and almost earth shaking as my shot hit its mark.  My trophy was down for the count and I have to say, I felt a true sense of accomplishment because it was a clean kill and the animal didn’t suffer what so ever.

As quickly as the whole sequence seemed to start into action, it was over.  With no more movement from the bear, Kevin and I climbed down from our stands and over to the downed bear.  After a couple of high-fives, Kevin positioned himself for the recovery filming and my job was done.  We worked as quietly as possible, since Brian and Donovan had told us that a number of bears had been working this bait and that Kevin may also get an opportunity for a shot.  We moved my bear away from the bait and quickly switched tree stands.  But, we had no other visitors that evening.  At about 8:30 pm we carried our prize the short distance out to the logging road and waited for our ride back to the lodge.

When we arrived back at the lodge, another hunter had also had success that night, as well as a number of the guests experiencing close encounters.  During the last three days of our hunt, four more hunters bagged nice bears.  Kevin almost got the job done on our last night, but his bear never worked his way into a position that I could film the shot and Kevin reluctantly held off.  If you don’t get the kill shot, you don’t have a show.

My beautiful black bear weighed in at a respectable 160 pounds and at a solid six feet.  With the amount of available food down a little for winter fat build-up, the weight of most bears was down about 20% but all of the bears that were taken were in very good condition and their coats were exceptional.  And speaking of exceptional, Brian, Donovan and their great staff did an excellent job in every aspect of our hunt.  Both their Minnesota black bear and their Kansas whitetail and turkey operations are first class and we are proud to have them as part of our exclusive Platinum Approved Outfitter family.  Both lodges offer full service, all inclusive packages and you will be staying in permanent structure lodges, not tent camps.  If you are looking for a great hunt for hunters of all genders and ages with tons of opportunity, give them a call today and they will start the process for you.  April is the deadline for applying for points in Minnesota for black bear and they will take care of all of the application work for you and the service is free of charge (There is no charge to apply for preference points).  It is a given that we will be back for more action and we hope to see you there on our next visit.  Arrowhead Wilderness Outfitters:  218-330-1353 and visit them on our website or at http://www.ahwoutfitters.com.  Remember at Arrowhead Wilderness Outfitters, “You come as a client, but you will leave as a friend”!